(ATR) The IOC is hosting a week of meetings in Beijing to help the 2022 Winter Olympics organizers learn as much as they could from PyeongChang counterparts.
The transfer of knowledge in Beijing brings together organizers from the next Olympics and counterparts from the IOC and the recently completed Games.
The IOC changed the format ahead of the Tokyo 2020 debrief, to emphasize question and answer sessions and panel discussions. The Beijing program features two days of open meetings the IOC titles "strategic learning" at the executive level.
June 6-8 will comprise of "operational learning" days, which PyeongChang organizers can share "in-depth and technical discussions on various elements of Games delivery," according to the IOC.
IOC Presidnet Thomas Bach, IPC President Andrew Parsons, PyeongChang 2018 President Lee Hee-Beom, and Beijing 2022 President Cai Qi all delivered opening remarks before the debrief. Bach is scheduled to hold a press conference June 5.
PyeongChang 2018 brought 63 members of its organizing committee to Beijing, with the IOC bringing 52. The number is vastly smaller than the 600 officials from Rio 2016 who went to Tokyo.
In his opening address Bach discussed one of the "most powerful legacies" from PyeongChang 2018, what he called ongoing peace talks between the two Koreas and the United States. Bach said that the Olympics "opened the door for a peaceful dialogue," and politicians subsequently walked through that door.
"A key to the great success of PyeongChang 2018 was the close cooperation between the IOC, the Organizing Committee, the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees," Bach said. "This is just one of the many lessons from PyeongChang 2018 that the Organizing Committees of the next Host Cities can build on for the future editions of the Olympic Games."
Along with Beijing the IOC invited cities interested in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics to participate in meetings to learn more about the process. So far seven NOCs have submitted letters of interest in hosting the 2026 Games as part of an ongoing dialogue phase with the IOC. At the next IOC Session in Buenos Aires this October the IOC will determine the list of candidate cities for the 2026 Games.
Also participating in the debrief is the International Paralympic Committee. An IPC spokesperson said the debrief will focus on how Beijing 2022 can "fulfill the potential of the Paralympic Winter Games".
"Do for the Winter Games what you did for the Summer Games in 2008," the spokesperson added.
The IPC said that PyeongChang 2018 "broke all international broadcast and online viewing records". The Games were viewed by over 2 billion people cumulatively, and audiences outside the host country grew by 27 percent compared to Sochi 2014.
"By the time the Games closed on 18 March there was a far greater awareness of Para sport in South Korea which I am sure will now act as a catalyst to furthering social inclusion in the country," Parsons said in his opening address. "The aim is for all participants to analyze and discuss what worked well in PyeongChang and what made them a record breaking success."
Written by Aaron Bauer
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